The rest of vacation. The end.

I’m going to try to wrap up the rest of our trip in one post, using The Handy Bullet Format.

• On Friday morning Andy and I met my cousin Bryonie and her husband Josh for coffee and bagels at Einstein’s. (It was the first time being with them in person since they lost their precious babies in the spring.) The Lord really blessed our time together and we all had a great time of fellowship and fun. They came with us to pick up Drew and Madeline from VBS and then we went back to my parents’ house. Visits are rarely long enough, but at least we got to spend half the day with them.

• My mom had wanted to take my kids to the North Pole/Santa’s Workshop, since we used to go there as kids. We stopped there Friday afternoon on our way up to the cabin, and then when the cashier rang up the admission price of $85 for all of us for the mere two hours we’d be there, we turned around and left. I mean, really. So we stopped for ice cream instead and then drove straight to the cabin.

• My mom roasted marshmallows for the kids that night in the fireplace. I think Madeline ate about eleven.

• After the kids were tucked away in their beds, we played a rousing game of Taboo. The twins are never allowed on the same team. I mean, fair is fair.

• I had a very hard time breathing at 9,000 feet and woke up twice during the night in a near-panic. I’m sure it didn’t help being pregnant.

• Saturday my dad took Andy, my sisters, and their friend Patrick 4-wheeling. Drew was supposed to go but chickened out at the last minute. I was so not surprised. I think it was because he wasn’t going to be buckled in a proper car seat and the boy loves following the rules. He also didn’t like that they were driving on grass.

• When they got back we took a walk to see the horses.

• Andy and dad fished a lot of Saturday. I took a nice long nap.

• Bry and Josh got back up to the cabin in the afternoon, so we had tea together. My grandparents and Aunt Becki also came up to have dinner with us so it turned out to be a good-sized crowd.

• We played Taboo again after dessert and every last adult played. (Why is “wonderbra” on one of the cards?)

• My dad, sisters, and Patrick stayed up there Saturday night but my mom and our little family drove back to their house and didn’t get home until midnight. Fortunately my parents’ church service starts a little later and we made it there (mostly) on time.

• My grandparents had all of us over to their house for lunch, including my Uncle Miles and his family. Drew found a new buddy in my cousin Julia (he didn’t seem to notice she’s about 15 years older.) We had our dessert out on the deck and Madeline pretty much just ate whipped cream. She licked it off the cake and strawberries and then kept asking for more. Aunt Becki came to the rescue with a spatula and scraped the bowl for her.

• Our drive home Monday was uneventful, save for our DVD player breaking late that afternoon. Adelaide probably pushed too many buttons with her toe and the thing decided it had had enough.

• We stopped in St. Louis and stayed with my cousin Courtney and her hubby. Too short a visit, but glad to see them anyway.

• Got home late afternoon yesterday and went straight to pick up Andy’s car from the shuttle service. I went immediately after to Walmart for a fridge/pantry re-stock and I’m so glad I did because that meant I didn’t have to go anywhere today. We had also cleaned out the car (Drew vacuumed, one of his favorite things) and got almost everything unpacked. It’s nice to start mostly from scratch the day after a long trip.

Wherein Drew is spoiled rotten

Drew had his big day-o-golfing with Daddy and Papa yesterday. Andy and Dad golfed for real while he was at VBS and then my mom and I dropped him off after a quick bite to eat. (Chick-Fil-A of course.)

They did a 3-par course, which was perfect for the little guy. I wish I had thought to drop off my camera as well.

(Because I’m sure we would have all loved to see pictures of him chasing the geese…an impulse he apparently inherited from his father.)

They stopped for chocolate shakes at Sonic on their way home, so needless to say, Drew was riding high on life yesterday. He only had a mild fit when we told him he couldn’t finish the entire thing before naptime.

(And what do you think was the very first thing out of his mouth upon waking up?)

I enjoyed a quiet afternoon here, which I needed after running around like crazy the last few days. When my sisters got home from work, my mom, Cassandra and I went over to my grandma’s house for a little impromptu tea party. Which, you know, are really the best.

Andy, Cassandra, and I took Drew and Madeline to see “Earth” last night at the $1.50 theater. We got there a little late and were forced to sit down near the front, and then as soon as we had sat down, Madeline looked up and exclaimed “TURTLE!!”

Five minutes later, “FOX!!!” And then after two beautiful scenes of flowers, “it looks like the ‘Secret Garden’!!” Our shushing her clearly wasn’t meaning much. (There were other kids there so it wasn’t a big deal.)

But then she and Drew started begging for water (what do you know, salty popcorn makes one thirsty) and we had a few up-and-downs for that. I’m just thankful the entire tub of popcorn didn’t spill or something equally as embarrassing.

On the way home Drew started asking about the rest of his shake again, and we told him it would be nice of him to share some with Madeline. She piped up with “I’m only going to eat a teeny, tiny bite because you got your special shake from McDonalds.” (Sonic.)

Drew, a touch condescendingly: “Madeline, that’s exactly right.”

And the grown-ups died laughing.

Another busy day-o-vacay-fun

Vacations usually slip by too fast, and this week is no exception. Andy and I were able to go out to lunch alone yesterday, to one of my favorite little French cafes. I remember going there with my mom and grandmother when I was little. Yu-mmy.

Afterwards we met the kids and my mom, grandma, and aunt at the playground where they were having a picnic. We stayed too long there because the SECOND we got to the pool, they closed it due to thunder. Drew had a total meltdown, which is actually really unlike him.

His day was redeemed later since we ate dinner over at my uncle’s house and they have a hot tub:

And now it’s Thursday already. Sniff.

Because vacation is supposed to be fun.

Last year when I came to visit my folks, I got to meet Mer (Life at 7000 Feet) in real life for lunch one day. So as soon as I started planning this trip, I knew we HAD to meet up for lunch again. And yesterday was the day.

My kids have been in VBS every morning this week, so my mom took Adelaide for me and I drove up to meet Mer at a tea house. It was a gorgeous day and we ate outside:

But then we decided that wasn’t enough time together so I ended up going back to her house, we took her daughter Sarah over to her little friend’s house, and then sat in her kitchen for two more hours and had leftover ice cream cake.

(Mer- thank you so much for lunch, for being honest and real, and being such a good friend!)

Right before I left my mom called saying my van wouldn’t start.

OH THAT’S JUST LOVELY.

Remember when it wouldn’t start before and we had it towed to the shop and it ended up being nothing but us trying to use the wrong key? Well, my mom had stopped at Walmart yesterday and had two spare keys made. Problem is they weren’t the dealer keys with the programmed computer chip. Which meant they also wouldn’t start my car.

She didn’t know that.

She called back later to tell me she had gotten it to start again, and then mentioned about the new keys, and it all clicked into place. I’m surprised Walmart didn’t tell her those keys wouldn’t drive the car, but whatever. I explained it wouldn’t start for her before only because she was using one of those new non-chip keys. I WAS SO RELIEVED. Car repairs on vacation are never any fun.

Also at Walmart, she picked up Razor scooters for Drew and Madeline. My grandparents’ neighbor’s kids have them and Drew had found his new love. Problem is he only got to ride it once and has been talking about it ever since.

Enter grandma and the problem is solved! I’m just praying they don’t kill themselves because have I mentioned that Madeline is clumsy?

And then to round out the day, Andy and I went to see The Proposal after dinner. He thought it was just as funny as I did.

Which is convenient.

Sunday best

Usually I go on vacation and have a ton of pictures of the kids and possibly Andy, but there are never any of me.  Isn’t that the life of the mother?  So after church on Sunday we took a bunch of Sunday-best photos and I made sure I was in some of them with my kids.

So, since we really didn’t do anything newsworthy yesterday (besides picking Andy up from the airport and doing a little shopping), I thought I’d post a few of Sunday’s pictures today.

Visions of water parks in my future

We took the kids swimming yesterday and I really thought we’d end the day with a trip to the ER.

The pool had both a diving board AND a slide. My girls were enamored with the slide. It was one of those older ones that have a steep ladder of about eight rungs, and the slide itself has a pretty steep incline. I could just picture Adelaide slipping off a step at the top and falling backwards onto the concrete below.

But she would NOT be deterred.

The girl has no fear. So my mom and I took turns standing behind her on the ladder as she clambered up and then she’d sit herself down at the top and, seriously, FLY down the slide. Rinse and repeat about 20 times.

Madeline was a little more nervous her first three times and then she was up and down as often as Adelaide. Drew took way more convincing, and I kept telling him he didn’t HAVE to go on the slide.

But what self-respecting boy is going to be shown up by his two little sisters?

The diving board, believe it or not, didn’t give me quite the nervous breathlessness as the slide did and they jumped off that plenty, too. Adelaide jumps as far as her stubby little two-year-old legs will get her, goes under about three feet, pops up (THANK YOU FLOTATION DEVICE INVENTOR), and “swims” back to the side. You really can’t believe it, she’s so teeny.

I have a feeling I’m going to be the mom chauffeuring her kids to water parks when they hit junior high.

(That and high-dive lessons.)

After dinner my sisters watched my kids (just like old times!) and my grandparents, parents, aunt, and I went to see The Proposal. Hilarious. Gorgeous Alaskan scenery. I absolutely recommend it if you like romantic comedies, otherwise known as chick flicks.

And then I promptly fell into bed.

(What am I, 80?)

(In my defense, the altitude is totally kicking my rear.)

Dry, dry, dry

Are we EVER in the Land of Dry. I’m going to need a gallon of lotion just to see us through the week. It’s the kind of thing that makes your eyes burn and I’ve already got a patch of dry flaky skin on my cheek.

A little bit of a shock, even if expected, coming from the South where you don’t need lotion because it’s so humid. Madeline’s curls have even fallen out, turning into a messy sort of wave.

We got to my mom’s yesterday afternoon. When my sisters got home from work, they wasted no time in taking the kids out to play and showed the kids this new trick:

My grandparents live down the street, so we went over there for dinner last night.  My kids got to sit up at the bar (which they thought terribly exciting):

My aunt made the yummiest chicken enchiladas but they should have come with the pregnancy heartburn warning label “FIRE, FIRE! PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR YOUR STOMACH WILL HATE YOU LATER!”

And then we got to watch some natural beauty like this:

And “borrowed” my grandparents’ neighbor’s toys:

This morning we’ve been playing puzzles (which have their names personalized into the picture, courtesy of the grandparents):

My girls have been in heaven with my sister’s makeup drawer(s) and having their aunts around to do things like apply glitter and paint nails:

(Aren’t chubby two-year-old hot pink nails the cutest?  You should see her toes.)

And we’ve been messing up the Post-It notes:

The things you get away with at Grandma’s.

I’m telling you, the fun never ends.

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Except that we are, in fact, still in Kansas. We’ve driven over 800 miles and the kids have been so, so good. It helps to have DVD players in the car, is all I’m sayin’. And coloring books. And matchbox cars.

We’ve had gorgeous weather and almost no traffic. The sunset was beautiful and you could see it stretching for miles across the flat plain. We’re about 15 minutes from where we’re staying tonight and we’ll all be thankful to be out of the car for a while.

***

Memorable quote from today: “No, Mommy doesn’t have to call Grandmommy ‘Grandmommy’ because she’s a big girl so she can just call her ‘Mom’” – Drew.

And we’re off!

Actually, we’ve been driving for about two hours now. Pray for our safety and sanity!

Six children five and under is too much for two mommies in Costco

(Alternate title: The cat hates me.)

So here I am in the Deep South, visiting Dolly and trying not to lift a finger.  (Vacation is not for finger-lifting, you know.)  She also has a kitten and I’ve been painfully reminded of how allergic I am to the feline species.

(She left to pick up Chinese for dinner last night, asking if she should pick up some Claritin for me while she was out.  I thought I’d be okay and brushed her off.  And then as soon as she pulled out of the driveway, I sneezed at least fifteen times in a row.  I immediately called her back and begged for mercy Claritin.)

Today we lazed around here (we’re good at lazing around) and then took the kids to a park.  Came back for lunch and naps and then ran over to Costco to grab a pizza for dinner.

Dolly also ordered the two of us mocha freezes to enjoy while we browsed (I mean, why not? we had to wait for the pizza to bake, after all) and as soon as we had walked away from the counter, my arm got bumped by a child’s head and my mocha crashed dramatically all over the floor.

(And I’m sure it warranted all fifty-gazillion paper towels the employee threw down on the floor.  Hmph.  At least they gave me a new one for free.)

Our shopping trip continued in much the same fashion; children arguing over sips of my drink and who got to push the cart, Madeline’s toes getting run over, and Adelaide first protesting sitting up in the seat of the cart and then kicking Drew when he got too close.  Oh, and him pouting and hurt because I wouldn’t let him push the cart since he can’t even see over the top and kept ramming both product displays and innocent people.

At one point I said out loud to no one in particular, “who are these children?  Ain’t never seen ‘em before.”

I managed to get a set of summer pajamas for Drew and a darling smocked church dress for Madeline.  (Costco: The One-Stop Shop.)  Dolly made out pretty well, too.  We got our pizza and headed home, both of us glad not to have to cook.

Tonight after everyone was bathed and tucked in (and repeated requests for potty stops and drinks of water were dealt with), we popped in a movie and the evil spirit within her cat came out to taunt me.

That cat is seriously out to get me.  He jumps and lands on me out of NOWHERE, digging his claws into my unsuspecting legs and feet and I about jump out of my skin from shock.  Rinse and repeat at least a dozen times.  He’s seriously about to give me a heart attack, or at least a nervous breakdown.   Don’t be fooled by his look of kitten innocence.

(And just because he’s the size of a squirrel doesn’t mean he can’t do some serious damage with those tiny razor claws.  I’m telling you, don’t be fooled!)

Although, I bet Max could take him.

Changing Scenery

No time to blog this morning because the kids and I are packing up and heading down to Dolly’s.  Let the fun begin!

Where did all these kids come from?

So, yes, we are here visiting my friend Dolly while her hubby is off cavorting at Disney World, (and feigning attendance at an orthodontic conference). We drove down on Thursday.

Yesterday we met Kristen (This Classical Life) at a local park and even though it was cut short due to drizzling rain, it was really fun to finally meet her IRL and her kids are simply adorable. And they love donuts, so clearly they’re our kind of people.

Other than that, there has been lots of making messes, dressing up, and tractor-pushing going on. When we finally get the six (six!) kids to bed each night, D and I have been watching Masterpiece Theatre’s productions of a couple of Jane Austen’s works.

First was Mansfield Park and last night was Persuasion. See why I come here? We speak the same language.

And the coffee’s really good.

Wedding Festivities Update

So Thursday night was the Rehearsal Dinner. Unfortunately I can’t tell you just how great it was because I spent most of my time and attention chasing and hushing my kids. And there were no high chairs. Not even one.

(And it’s not like it was in a warehouse somewhere. The dinner was at a hotel, the Hilton Gardens, with banquet rooms and eateries. The last time I checked, the Hiltons had enough money to buy a couple of high chairs.)

But as far as I can tell, it was a sweet tribute to my cousin Robbie and his fiancée, Jordan. And the food was good, even mostly vegan friendly (*grin*). But we did have to leave early due to all the chasing and the hushing.

Yesterday morning we again spent by the pool. Adelaide wasn’t nearly as excited about her floatie so I ended up holding her most of the time. I did let her walk around a good bit and play on the stairs. At least twice she stepped off the second stair and fell in. A face-full of water doesn’t seem to phase her much.

The wedding pictures started at 4. We found that out around 2ish. But miracles do happen, and we managed to make it to the church on time. Except when we got there we realized we had left one of Drew’s tux-worthy shoes back at the hotel. Always something. I did what every reasonable woman would do and sent Andy back for it. I even had him bring Adelaide along for the trip.

I’m going to do a separate post with the wedding pictures – after Andy gets back with my Starbucks.

I’m sure you understand.

Why we love us some vacation

Although, I should clarify – breakfast was not a walk in the proverbial park. By the time we managed to get downstairs, a lot of the food options were gone so we had to do a little scrambling and ‘going without.’ And then Madeline announced to the entire breakfast room that she “HAD TO GO POOP!”

Slightly embarrassing.

We spent the first half of today doing some of this:

Adelaide loved the water. She stayed in that floatie for well over an hour, splashing and giggling and having a grand ole time.

My other fishies…

Madeline is much more daring than Drew. She jumps of her own accord and totally trusts the floatie to catch her. Drew needs more coaxing.

And we even squeezed in a little bit of this:

Tonight we had the rehearsal and the Rehearsal Dinner. More on that later though, I’m wiped.

And this is how it’s done

The flight this morning was probably the best one I’ve ever had with kids in tow. Having Andy along made it almost breezy. There were no lines and the kids were very well-behaved despite their high-energy and excitement.

We had to bring a LOT of stuff (including several items of baby gear), but most of our carry-ons could be piled high atop the stroller. I use the chest clips to attach the car seats to the stroller handle, a handy little trick:

Although, when we pulled up to the gate Madeline jumped out and the whole thing toppled over backwards, with Adelaide still strapped inside. Yeah, top heavy. No one was hurt except maybe my pride.

I think Drew’s a little excited to go swimmin’, don’t you??

(Pardon my early morning face and hair.)

Being their normal silly selves:

Madeline, can you say “static cling?”

Why I drag carseats onto the plane:

Coloring in the coloring book that our new airplane friends let us use (I had an empty seat next to me and then another mom sat in the third seat and she was so nice. Her two little kids sat in the row across the aisle.):

After we landed, we found all of our checked items save one – Adelaide’s carseat. (It’s supposed to be delivered to our hotel by tonight and they gave us another one to use in the meantime.) Andy went off to get our rental van and the kids and I waited. And waited. And waited.

And waited.

I was starting to think he had ditched us and gone to Disneyworld.

Finally – about an hour and a half later – he pulled up outside the baggage claim doors. He’d taken a wrong turn and ended up having to go across Tampa Bay and back.

So that little, um, setback was the worst part of our day. Not too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

And as soon as we got in the rental van:

(And yes, I realize the straps are in the wrong slots – this was the one we “borrowed” for the drive to the hotel and frankly, I wasn’t about to re-lace the whole thing for such a small window of use.)

Watching TV in our hotel room (because what else are you supposed to do, cooped up in a small space with a half-fridge, desk, two beds, and a tiny bathroom?):

Andy with our stash from Publix:

The kids resting and warming up after a late-afternoon swim:

Looks like it’s going to be a relaxing weekend after all.

Another *boring* day of vacation

This morning I had my coffee, as usual, with French Vanilla, as usual. First time on this trip, though, since my mom only bought it yesterday.

(Sigh of relief.)

After the kids were bathed and dressed and I was also showered and dressed, we took the kids to Focus on the Family – they have this fabulous children’s play area based on Adventures in Odyssey and Whitt’s End or whatever (I’m 28 now, remember? Don’t expect me to remember all the stuff we used to listen to on the radio during family road trips way back when).

The kids had a BLAST and it was FREE. Although unfortunately, they were too short for the big green twirly slide. So we’ll have to do that another year.

And there was even a place for Adelaide’s level of skill and intellect. With a door that latched.

A mother’s dream.

Later my mom and I ran some errands while the kids were down for a nap and I found myself a new best friend, a little pink ipod nano. (Shh! Don’t tell Andy!)

I feel like I’ve finally joined the 21st century.

My sister and I just went through her library list and I snatched all the music I wanted. See? Already saving myself time and money.

My mom even put my older kids to bed and I didn’t even ask her to.

Vacation, indeed.

Happy Wednesday or Whatever Day This Is

Do y’all like hearing about my daily life? Even if it’s boring? Well, I suppose if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.

So I’ll just carry on.

Today my mom took the kids on her walk and then over to a playground. Which meant I could spend my morning with coffee and my sister’s laptop. Heaven indeed.

And then during naptime the twins (sorry…I should say ‘Carrissa and Cassandra,’ but that’s kind of hard because I’ve been referring to them as “the twins” their entire lives) and I went shopping.

Which is one of my favorite things to do and if you didn’t know that, you don’t know me very well.

We started at a little boutique in Old Coloardo City, which was surprisingly reasonably priced for being a boutique. And then we went to the mall because that’s where the Old Navy is here. And then I also made a quick run into Steinmart because my aunt wore all these fabulous dresses during the wedding weekend and she gets all her clothes at Steinmart.

I did find one dress and it was even on sale. Happy Late Birthday, To Me.

Or Happy Anniversary, I mean.

Or Mother’s Day.

(Just pick one already.)

After dinner we’re going to go precinct-walking and also the twins (there I go again) and I are planning a run to Wal-Mart which may or may not involve a new mascara and a box of haircolor.

I’ll keep you posted.

Vacation, Part II

Yesterday and today the kids and I drove back with my mom and grandparents to their homes in Colorado. (Andy flew home last night from Phoenix. Someone’s got to make the money, afterall.)

We broke the trip up into two days and stayed in Albuquerque last night. It was fine because we had two cars and each one had a dvd player. I’m not really sure what the agenda is for the next week except, well, relax and play with the kids. So nothing out of the ordinary for me!

Drew just said to me, “Mommy? Please get out, Mommy. I won’t touch this…” (Pointing to my sister’s guitar.)

Yeah, right.

I wonder what I’m in for.